Double check-row cotton and corn planter.



Patented Aug." 29, 1899.

J. W. BARTLETT. DOUBLE CHECK BOW COTTON AND BURN PLANTEB.

(Application filed. Mar. 9, 1898.] (N0 Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

IZVVENTOR awn M1015 Allorizey n: Noam: PETERS 00.. wmour Patented Aug. 29, I899,-

.1. w. BARTLETT. DOUBLE CHECK BOW COTTON AND CCHN PLANTER.

(Application 81! Max-[9, 1898.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

[N VEN TOR Attorney WITNESSES Patented'Aug. 29. 1399.

J. w. BARTLETT. DOUBLE CHECK ROW COTTON AND CORN PLANTEB.

(pplicntion filed. Mar. 9, 1898,)

3Sheets-Shebt 3 (No now.)

I INVENTOR Allaruey m: Noams PETERS cc, Pnm'uufna. WASHINGTON. n. c

UNITED STATES- PATENT Y OFFICE.

JOHN W. BARTLETT, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS.

DOUBLE CHECK-ROW COTTON AND CORN PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming as of Letters Patent No. 631,921, dated August 29, 1899.

Application filed March 9, 1898. Serial No. 673,284. (No model.)

My invention relates to an improvement in planters, and more particularly to combined double check-row cotton and corn planters, the object of the invention being to so construct a planter of the character specified that with interchangeable parts one machine will serve the purpose of planting either cotton-seed or corn with equal efficiency.

A further object is to construct the machine in such manner that two rows of cotton or corn can be simultaneously planted in checks or hills and result in a great saving of seed and the expense of cotton-chopping.

Afurther object is to construct the machine in such manner that the seed can be dis charged rapidly with accuracy.

A further object is to produce a planter for corn and cotton-seed which shall be simple in construction and effectual in all respects in the performance of its functions.

WVith these objects in view the invention consistsin certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a planter embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the feed devicesarranged for planting corn. -Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the arrangement for planting cotton-seed. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the hopper,with the cover removed, showing the same arranged for corn. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the hopper arranged for cotton-seed. Fig. 6 is'a detail view of, the feed-wheel for corn,'and Fig. 7 is a similar view of the feed-wheel for cottonseed. Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 are views illustrating various details.

A represents the rectangular frame of the machine, the side bars of which are provided with suitable bearings for the revoluble shaft or axle 1, on the ends of which the ground or carrying wheels 2 are secured. To each side of the frame A, at the forward end thereof, seed boxes or hoppers 3 3 are secured.

The seedboxes and feeding devices at respective sides of the machine are the same in construction, and hence a detail description of one box and feeding mechanism will suffice for both.

The body of the box or hopper 3 may be made of wood, but the bottom 4 is preferably made of metal, and the construction of said bottom of the seedbox is an important feature of my invention. The bottom 4, which is preferably made in a single casting, is convex in side elevation, and in plan it has the appearance of two truncated cones, thus presenting two convex surfaces 5 5, inclining toward the center of the bottom and adapted to discharge seed into a slot or opening 6 in said bottom. In other words, the seedbox is provided with a convex hopper-bottom having the elongated slot or opening therein, and this slot is continued beyond the convex portions into the fiat portions 6 of the bottom 4:, as shown at 7 and 8; The'enlarged upper end 9 of the feed-boot 10 is secured to the bottom 4 of the seedbox, and to the bottom of the boot the runner 11 is secured, the forward end of the runner being'attached to a cross-bar 12, secured to the main frame A. A shaft 13 is mounted near its respective ends in bearings provided at the upper ends of the boots 1(), and to this shaft feed-wheels 14 are removably secured under the convex bottoms of the seedboxes. Each feed-wheel is so mounted as to be concentric with the central portion of the convex bottom 4 and closes the elongated slot or opening 6.

When the machine is to be adapted for planting cotton-seed, a feed-wheel having fingers or teeth-15 will be provided, as shown in Fig. 7; but when it is desired to plant corn a feed-wheel 16, having pockets 17, such as shown in Fig. 6, will be substituted.

When the feed-wheel 14 is revolved, the fingers 15 will force the cotton-seed down between the spring-fingers 18 of a guard 19 and into an opening 20 in said guard, which opening is located over acut-otf 21 in the outlet formed by the extension 7 of the slot or opening 6. The cut-01f 21 is composed of two parallel rollers a (1, carried by spring-arms I). These spring-arms constitute the end of a single piece of wire, which is bent between its ends to form two coils c c-one for each arm-and through these coils "screws (1 are passed to fasten the cut-off to the bottom 4.

By thus constructing the cutoff the seed will be prevented from escaping from the seedbox except when forced out by the fingers of the feed-Wheel, at which time the said cut-oif will permit the passage of the fingers of the feed-Wheeland the seeds without danger of injury to the latter. A similarly-constructed cut-off 22 is located at the extension 8 of slot 6.

The shaft 13 which carries the feed-wheels 14 under the convex bottoms of the respective seedboxes is provided at a point inter-- mediate of its ends with a sprocket-wheel 23,

to which motion is transmitted by-a sprocketchain 24 from a larger sprocket-wheel 25 on the-revol-nble shaft or axle 1.

'A-gi'tators 26 are removably mounted i-n-each seedboxand provided with fingers 27-of varying lengths, and said agitators are also provided centrally between their ends with a a series of fingers 28 of equal lengths. agitatorsare so *disposed that the fingers -28 thereof will project into'the path of the teeth or fi-ngers 15 of the feed-wheel 14, and thus? The as the feed-wheel revolves the engagement; of the teeth-or fingers thereof with the fingers 28 of the agitators will serve to drive the;

latter.

Each boot -10 is provided near its lowerend 5 with lugsor ears 29, between which a valve or gate 30 is .pivotally-supported and adapted to normally close the outlet of the boot and catch the seeds deposited thereinto by the feed-wheel. with anarm 31, to which the lower-end of a rod '32 is .p'ivotally connected. The upper The valve or gate 30 is -.pro vided end of the rod passes freely through-a box.

or'enlargement 33 on the rear endofthe feedbox. Asprin-g 34 is alsod-isposed Within the box or enlargement 33-and bears at its re spectiv-eends against a shoulder 36 on the rod and ashoulder37 in the box or enlargement said spring thus acting to maintain the yalve-or gate 3O norlnallyclosed and to re- Theshaft 4O whichan arm 42 is loosely mounted on the.

shaft and carries a dog to engage said ratchet-wheel 41.

Afr-ante 44 is secured to the framework of the machine adjacent to the feed-box and carries guide-wheels 45 for the knotted rope usuallyemployed with check-row planters.

A forked or bifurcated arm or lever 46 (-adaptedt-o-be operated by the knotted rope) ispivotal-ly attached between its-ends to the frame '44. Aspring 47 is attached at its re-;

spective ends to the frame 44 and the arm or lever 46 for returning the latter to its normal position after it shall have been actuated by engagement with the knots on the rope. The inner end of the check arm or lever 46 is connected by means of a rod or pitman 48 with the arm 42.

From the construction and arrangement of parts above described it will be seen that the seed will be accurately fed from the seedbox into the boot by means of the feed-wheel, and the said feed-wheel, being mounted vertically and operating in the slot in the bottom of the'conv-exfeed-bottom, can be rotated rapidly without detracting from the accuracy of the feed. After-the seeds-hall have been deposited into the boots 'it will be discharged therefrom at regular intervals by the *manipulation of the valves-or gates 30 through the medium-of thedevi'cehereinbefore described.

The machinecan bedriven rapidly over a fieid, planting two rows of -cot ton-'seed at a time with great accuracy, Knot on'ly "of the number of seeds plan-ted at eachcheck but also thespacing of the'checks.

The 'machine'is-a-lso welt-adapted for planting corn and will operate to deposit the corn with accuracy and -rapidi ty, it being only necessary to replace the teed-wheels 14 with the feed-wheels -16,-having theipoekets 17 ,and

e to repla'ce the cut-offs 2-1 with a cut-off 50 and a spring-finger .5:1"'and -to substitute a plate 52 for the cut-oft '22..

When the machine is used for planting co'rn, the agitators maybe removed. The-cut- 01'1" 50 may consist of a pivoted armcarrying a roller 53 at one end, under which the corn passes, and under-said cut=offaspringguidefinger "54 maybe located to prevent the-escape of the corn. The l-pla-teefl is used to close the portion =7 of the elongated slot in the bottom of the feed-box.

My improvements are simple in *ce'nstruction and eftectuahtnall respects -in the .per-

forinance "of their functions.

-Sl-i ght changes =mig ht-=be made in the-details of construction of my invention without-departing from the spirit-thereof or limiting its scope, and hence I do not wish to limit any self to thepreeise details herein set forth.

Having :fnlly described my invention, what I claim-asnew, and desire tosec ure by Letters Patent, is A 1. Ina planter-,the combinationof a seedbox havinga bot-tom 'convexen its top face and-concave on its u-nderface and projecting upwardly in to the body of the 'box, said bottom having an elongated opening, and a Vertical feed-wheel mounted under and closin'g said opening and havingits axisapproxim atelyin line with the endsdf "said elongated opening.

2. In a planter,the combination'of a seedbox havinga bottom =eon vex*on its top face and concave'on i t-s'under face and {projecting upwardly'within the body of the box, said bottomhaving-a central elongated opening, theportions of said bottoma't respective sides of said opening being inclined from the sides of the hopper to the opening, and a feed-Wheel mounted under and concentric to said opening and having its axis approximately in line with the ends of said elongated opening.

3. In a planter, the combination of a seedbox provided with a bottom convex on its top face and concave on its under face and projecting thereinto and having a central elongated slot, a vertical feed-wheel mounted under and concentric to said slot in the bottom, and having its axis approximately in line with the ends of said slot and a spring-finger projecting partially over the elongated slot and substantially concentric thereto and to the feed-wheel.

4. In a planter, the combination of a seedbox provided with a bottom convex on its top face and concave on its under face and projecting thereinto and having an elongated slot, a feed-wheel disposed under and concentric to the elongated slot in the convex bottom and having its axis approximately in line with the ends of said elongated slot and a cutod mounted on said convex bottom and projecting through the slot therein so as to bear against thefeed-wheels.

5. In a planter, the combination of a seedbox provided with a bottom convex on its top face and concave on its under face and projecting upwardly thereinto and having a central elongated slot, a feed-wheel having its axis approximately in line with the ends of said slot, a spring-pressed cut-off supported by said bottom and projecting through the slot therein some distance from one end of said slot, said cut-off adapted to bear against the periphery of the feed-Wheel, and a spring guide-finger over the portion of the elongated slot in the convex bottom, under and in rear of the cut-off.

(5. In a double check-row planter, the combination with framework, of two seedboxes each having a slotted bottom, projecting upwardly thereinto convex on the top face and concave on the under face and a transverse shaft, vertically-disposed feed-wheels, one for each seedbox, secured to said shaft and disposed concentric with the bottom and under the slots therein, the axis of the feedwheels being approximately in line with the ends of the slots in the hopper-bottoms and meansfor driving said shaft, substantially as set forth.

7. In a planter, the combination with a seedbox having a slotted bottom convex on the top face and concave on the under face and a boot, of a vertically-disposed feed- Wheel under and concentric with said slotted bottom and directly over the boot, said feedwheel adapted to rotate within the upper part of the boot and having its axis approximately in line with the ends of the slot in the hopper-bottom, a valve or gate in the boot and means for opening and closing said valve or gate at intervals.

8. In a planter, the combination With a seedbox and a feed-Wheel, of a cut-off consisting of a single piece of spring Wire bent to form two coils and arms projecting from said coils rollers mounted on said arms and a fastening device passing through each coil, substantially as set forth;

9. In a planter, the combination with a seedbox, a feed-wheel and a boot, of a hinged valve or gate in said boot, a hollow enlargement on the feedbox, a longitudinally-movable rod passing through said enlargement and connected with said valve or gate, a spring within said hollow enlargement and bearing at its respective ends against shoul ders in said enlargement and on said rod, whereby to retain said valve or gate closed and means for raising said rod to open the valve or gate at intervals.

10. In a planter, the combination With a seedbox, a boot and means for feeding seed from the box to the boot, of a valve or gate in the boot, a spring-actuated rod connected with said valve or gate and having a shoulder, a shaft mounted on the frame of the machine,a ratchet-wheel secured to said shaft and adapted to engage the shoulder on said rod, an arm mounted loosely on the shaft, a second ratchet-Wheel on the shaft, adogcarried by said arm to engage said last-mentioned ratchet-Wheel, a check-lever and a connection between said check-lever and arm, substantially as set forth.

11. In a planter, the combination with a seedbox having a convex slotted bottom, of

a feed-Wheel mounted under said bottom, horizontally-disposed rotary agitators in the seedbox and having arms adapted to be engaged by the feed-wheel to rotate said agitators.

12. In a planter the combination With a seedboxhaving a convex slotted bottom, of a feed-wheel mounted under said bottom, fingers on said feed-Wheel projecting through the slotin the convex bot-tom and adapted to feed seed from the seedbox and agitators mounted in the seedbox and having fingers adapted to project into the path of the fingers on the feed-wheel, whereby said agitators will be driven by the feed-wheel, substantially as set forth.

13. In a planter, the combination with a seedbox having a slotted bottom and a feed- Wheel, of a guard having fingers disposed parallel with the slot in the hopper and having an enlarged opening at the juncture of said fingers with the body of the guard and over the outlet of the hopper, substantially as set forth;

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN WyBARTLETT.

Witnesses:

D. J. WEBB, S. SWARTZENBURG. 

